"Airedales Rule!"

Artist:   Judy Dwiggins

Media:   Machine appliqué and hand embroidery

Artist's comments:

I made three squares for the first Airedale Rescue quilt last year. It was the first time I'd ever tried my hand at quilting. I found it gratifying to express my love for Airedales in a way that also benefited Airedales in need. I was eager to do it again. This year the theme was the Airedalennium -- Airedales (real or imagined) taking part in some history making event (or everyday event) of the last millennium.

Between the time of designing the quilt square and sewing it together, we lost our beloved Airedale Bonnie to cancer. For awhile I didn't have the heart to even work on the quilt square. I was so depressed about losing my best friend. Then I realized that creating and working on the square was the best therapy to help me deal with my grief. The square gave me another chance to help and pay tribute to the breed who has given our family so much pleasure and love.

When I made a square for the ADT Rescue quilt honoring Nephi, a wonderful Airedale who crossed the Rainbow Bridge in 1998, I felt Nephi's spirit touch me as I put his quilt square together. It was a wonderful feeling. As I put the flag on this year's quilt square, I could feel another Aire-spirit guiding my sewing hand. As you can see from the results, the flag was definitely inspired by the queen of my heart, sweet Bonnie. As I valiantly tried to sew that tiny gold crown on her head, I could feel her smiling at me from her throne across the Rainbow Bridge. I laughed when I finished because the crown doesn't sit quite straight on her head. Of course, Bonnie wouldn't have ever worn her crown straight. She always liked to have things done her way.

While working on the square, it began telling me its story. I want to share it with you:

There once was a sad, lonely Airedale named Beau. He had been shuffled from home to home throughout his young life. He didn't think there was any place on earth where he could truly belong. Then he was sent to a home where he met a loving family and a great Airedale companion named Bonnie. Now, Beau had to admit that Bonnie was a bit bossy and always liked having her way. She had to eat first and get the biggest treats, but she was ALWAYS there. He could depend upon her. She never let Beau down. She taught him how to be an Airedale.

One sad day, Bonnie left and didn't come home. Before she left, she told Beau that he was now in charge of his world. She was counting on him to make her proud and remember everything she had taught him. That scared Beau. He'd never been "in charge" before. He didn't know how to act. Whenever he was unsure of a situation he would think to himself, "How would Bonnie do this?" He began to act like her.

When Beau was given the task of exploring new worlds, he was still sort of scared. He decided he could do it though, he would just carry Bonnie's standard with him wherever he went. You can see him on the quilt square, taking his first step on the moon. Feeling very brave with Bonnie's words to reassure him, "Airedales Rule."

They certainly rule our home and our hearts!

Bonnie will always remain the Queen of our Hearts. We are grateful to her for teaching us the wonder of Airedales. We hope her legacy lives on by improving the lives of other Airedales.

Judy Dwiggins

Artist's Bio:

My name is Judy Dwiggins. I created the quilt square "Airedales Rule."

My husband Roy and I live in TroutDale, Oregon, just east of Portland. We love and live with two Airedale Terriers. Beau, our oldest, is five years old. Our puppy Anabelle was born April 2, 2000. We lost Bonnie, our best friend for nearly 12 years, to cancer on April 1 of this year. Bonnie was our first Airedale. I have loved and lived with Terriers nearly all of my life.

Roy and I are also the proud parents of three, four-legged, grown up sons. We have one grandson Jordan who was born last December. Happily, Jordan is already learning to love and appreciate Airedales from Beau and Anabelle. He thinks they're funny.

I work for the Housing Authority of Portland as the General Services Manager. I manage the headquarters' building, telephone services and systems, mail services, printing and duplicating and customer service positions. I'm the person who gets called if there's a fire alarm, the phones don't work, or the elevator gets stuck. I also respond to comfort complaints and customer service issues. Whew, no wonder coming home to Airedales is my form of stress reduction.

Judy Dwiggins